Page 2 Introduction to Film Study
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Introduction to Film Study
In previous years, you have studied a variety of texts: poems, short stories, visual and multimedia texts, and novels, to name a few. Through each of these texts, text creators make thoughtful choices to convey their ideas to you. By unpacking these choices, such as character development, setting, plot, and theme, you can connect to complex texts in meaningful ways.
Films are complex texts. Each moment is carefully planned in advance. Like a novel author, a film director has a specific purpose in creating a film. A director uses cinematic techniques to influence the audience's understanding of the setting, characters, the plot, and theme of the film.
What makes a good story?
Before we explore film viewing strategies and directors' cinematic techniques, let's review the key building blocks that make up all good stories: plot, setting, character, and theme.
A story can evolve from:
- An interesting character: The character must be motivated. What does he or she need to succeed? Does your character want to find her mother? Does he want to get an athletic scholarship?
- A problem: A problem or obstacle must be in the way of the character. This problem moves the story's plot forward.
Review of Story Elements
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Plot is a series of causes and effects or conflicts and consequences.
The pattern for narrative comes from ancient Greek dramas that had a beginning (exposition), middle (action, rising to climax), and end (action falling to conclusion). The plot line of a novel follows this format.
The pattern for narrative comes from ancient Greek dramas that had a beginning (exposition), middle (action, rising to climax), and end (action falling to conclusion). The plot line of a novel follows this format.
We can apply the same pattern to the plot of the film you will study in this unit:
- Introduction or Exposition
- Rising Action
- Climax
- Resolution
From the beginning to the middle of the story, the plot builds through conflict.
There are three types of conflict:
- Person vs Person: the character has a problem with another person or a group of people.
- Person vs Environment: the character has a problem with his or her environment (an aspect of the setting, such as the physical environment or the time and place in which the action is set).
- Person vs Self: the character has a problem within himself or herself.
Image: VS
Setting refers to the time and place of the story.
Setting affects mood or atmosphere and character development.
A character is any human, animal or figure that does the action or about which the story is told. Characterization is how the author invites the reader's empathy and understanding of the character.
Characters are developed through combinations of traits suggested in their reaction to problems, to behaviour, motives and emotions. Characters are developed further through their appearance, words, actions, thoughts, and the words and thoughts of other characters.
Characters are developed through combinations of traits suggested in their reaction to problems, to behaviour, motives and emotions. Characters are developed further through their appearance, words, actions, thoughts, and the words and thoughts of other characters.
Types of Characters
- a protagonist is the main character central to the main conflict in the story
- an antagonist is the main character or force opposing the main character
- dynamic characters undergo significant changes within a story. (Tip: watch carefully for dynamic characters when you study your film in this unit.)
- static characters do not change within a story.
The theme is the main idea or message of the story. If character is the
backbone of the story, and plot is its muscle, then theme is the skin
that links everything together.
Theme answers the question: "What is the story telling me about life or how people interact?"
Theme answers the question: "What is the story telling me about life or how people interact?"
When considering the theme, answer these questions:
- What is the 'big idea'?
- How does the title relate to that topic?
- What do characters do or say that relates to that topic?
- What important lessons about life does the audience learn?
To identify theme, consider the following:
- Character
- Does the protagonist make a decision that changes him or her forever?
- How does the character respond to problems?
- Setting
- What mood or atmosphere do the time and place of the action create in the story?
- Cinematic techniques:
- What moments are central to the main plot and pivotal in character development?
- What cinematic techniques does the director use at those moments to support the message of the film?